Epidemiological relationship of oral lichen planus to hepatitis C virus in an Indian population.

Introduction The relationship between the hepatitis C virus (HCV) and oral lichen planus (OLP) remains a controversial subject. Lichen planus (LP) is a chronic, mucocutaneous, immunologically mediated disease of unknown aetiology. Associated factors include stress, trauma, malnutrition, infection, diabetes and hypertension. OLP is predominantly seen in middle-aged females. Clinically, the OLP has six variants: papular, reticular, plaque-like, atrophic, erosive and bullous. Symptoms can range from none to severe discomfort [1]. HCV is a single-stranded, positive ribonucleic acid (RNA) virus. It is a blood-borne pathogen, and transmits mainly through blood transfusion, percutaneous exposure from contaminated needles, and occupational exposure to blood. After acute HCV infection, the proportion of patients who may remain chronically infected is estimated to be as high as 85-90% [2]. A large proportion of these chronically infected individuals are asymptomatic carriers, unaware of their infected state. An association between LP and chronic active hepatitis (CAH) has been noted after first being reported in 1978 [3]. High prevalence of HCV infection in patients with LP was first documented in 1991 [4]. The prevalence rate of CAH in patients with LP ranged from 4.0% to 13.5% and the prevalence of anti-HCV antibodies and patients with LP ranged from 3.8 to 65%. An increased frequency of hepatic cirrhosis was also seen in patients with LP [5]. Epidemiological Relationship of Oral Lichen Planus to Hepatitis C Virus in an Indian Population